About this vendor
Based out of Knoxville, TN, Kelsey Shea Photography produces timeless photos from weddings and other milestone occasions. Kelsey McMurry is the owner and lead photographer behind this creative venture. Whether you're tying the knot at a country barn or a lavish ballroom, this professional can ensure that every memorable moment is forever frozen in time.
Kelsey has many years of experience when it comes to encapsulating some of life's most precious moments. Her detail-orientated approach makes sure that no big moment is overlooked. A self-described storyteller, Kelsey has committed her life to capture one-of-a-kind celebrations.
On the day of your wedding, Kelsey Shea Photography can be on-site throughout your entire festivities. What's more, Kelsey can be accompanied by an additional professional to ensure that every fleeting moment is recorded. All images from your celebration can be professionally edited and presented via physical prints and digital downloads.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Lifestyle
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
2-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2021.2020.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.023 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
I cannot recommend Kelsey Shea Photography enough! She was so amazing to work with, and I can't stop obsessing over our wedding photos! It's going to be so hard to decide which one...
s to print and frame because I love them all so much!
We are so grateful we had Kelsey as our photographer. From the very beginning, she was incredibly easy to work with, very warm, encouraging, and always professional. She made us fe...
el completely at ease in front of the camera, which shows in how natural and joyful our photos look. Her positive attitude helped us relax and enjoy every moment. Thank you Kelsey for capturing the wedding of our dreams and turning it into unforgettable memories!
We worked with Kelsey for an engagement shoot and two wedding ceremonies - and we would hire her again in a heartbeat. We had so much fun and felt so comfortable working with her, ...
even though neither my husband nor I are used to taking many pictures. Kelsey was always communicative and easy to coordinate with, even when booking travel in advance and scheduling the day-of for our long-distance ceremony. Our photo galleries always arrived quickly and full of the most beautiful edits. I honestly gain new favorite pictures every time I look through them! We could not be more grateful for Kelsey’s reassuring presence, natural eye, or hard work to help us capture these memories ❤️
My first call with Kelsey immediately put me at ease. As my husband says, we "vibed." She has such a warm personality and cares about her craft. She took time to get to know us ove...
r the phone since she's based out of Tennessee, we live in Virginia and were opting out of the engagement session (although those look amazing on her Instagram!!). She asked how we met and what we were looking for in our wedding photos. It was clear that her approach to photography was a match for us. She cares about capturing the natural and sentimental moments of love between the couple. When she arrived at our venue, things were a little hectic, but she jumped right in taking pictures of details like invitations, rings, etc while I was finishing my hair and makeup. Her smile and energy are infectious and it was clear we had made the right choice. Her assistant Bridgette was just as wonderful and incredibly sweet. They both made us feel so comfortable and it was clear that their main goal was to capture us authentically. Our photos are breathtaking. I honestly think she made our wedding even more gorgeous than we remember. AND she got her signature veil shot of us and I am obsessed!!! She's booked every weekend because she's amazing. I highly recommend her for your wedding!
Kelsey literally put everything she had into making sure we had all the photographs we could have hoped for from our special day. One thing I love most about her is how comfortab...
le she made us feel in front of the camera all day. She really made our day special and have given us photos that will live with us forever. I can’t thank her enough!
We had our engagement photos done by Kelsey and I absolutely plan to hire her again! I truly can not say enough good things about the entire experience. The whole process was very ...
easy & stress free. My fiance & I are both pretty awkward in front of a camera, but you can not tell at all from our photos. Kelsey was great at making sure we felt comfortable & had fun. It honestly felt more like having a friend take our photos, rather than a photographer we had just met that day! Our photos came out beautiful & were sent back to us even quicker than we anticipated. I will definitely be going back to Kelsey the next time we need photos done!
I have admired and studied my wedding photographs every day since I got them a week ago. Kelsey is an amazing artist and the photos are more than just beautiful wedding pictures, t...
hey are unique, creative, and truly fine art! She is also so sweet and easy to work with! I would not say that my husband and I are naturals in front of the camera; actually nothing is more stressful to me than being the center of attention. But the process was completely painless, and actually fun! I obsessed over choosing my photographer, and I think that choosing her was one of the best decisions I made for my wedding. The most common wedding advice I got from people was to invest in a photographer you really love, and I am glad I followed that advice. A wedding is such a momentous day that so much time, money, and effort goes into, and at the end of it all, you are left with the photographs to cherish for the rest of your life and to pass on to your kids. The photos are exactly what I wanted and there are SO MANY that I absolutely love; choosing which ones to frame is almost impossible. I obviously cannot say enough good things about her! Thank you SO much Kelsey!
Kelsey was amazing. She was easy going and made a stressful day easier. She found ways to get pictures that would make any place look beautiful. We love all our pictures. We can’t ...
wait to have a vow renewal to use her again!
Kelsey is absolutely amazing and incredibly talented. She works so hard to make you feel special and beautiful and comfortable. Kelsey did our engagement photos and wedding, and we...
could not be more pleased with her! My husband and I are awkward in front of a camera, but Kelsey puts you at ease and helps you feel confident. The whole experience is so fun and romantic. She will go through great lengths to get amazing shots. We are so pleased with Kelsey. Her work is timely and she communicates well. Love her. She captures love in its truest and rawest form. Absolutely stunning photos that we will cherish forever.
Kelsey is absolutely one of the most talented, and kind persons I’ve ever met. I’m not photogenic, nor am I comfortable in front of the camera, but she pulled me out of my shell an...
d I have the best photos to showcase our wedding for ourselves, our family and hopefully future generations. Kelsey was there for us during a very difficult time as we had to cancel our proper wedding due to covid 19 and she absolutely created dreamy memories for us that took the heartbreak out of it and made it into a loving and beautiful moment in our life. Highly highly recommend her!!
Kelsey is absolutely wonderful. We could not be happier that we booked with her for our wedding. She made the whole process flow so easily. And her photos are gorgeous. She was abl...
e to capture our personalities perfectly. I swoon when I look at some of the photos she took. She’s the best!!!
I would recommend Kelsey to everyone – my sister, dear friends, and YOU. For anything you desire to be beautifully documented. She is kind, professional, creative and a lot of fun ...
to be around!
Kind: My husband and I recently purchased our first home. We wanted to capture the joy of such a defining start to our new chapter in our lives. As a Christmas gift to me, my husband willing went along. But when it came time we were both nervous, but Kelsey guided us through the photos, and helped us instantly feel at ease. Kelsey truly made our mini session an experience. She captured so many precious moments.
Professional: She was thorough, on-time, and always quick to respond to ALL of my various questions. Kelsey and I spoke on the phone, prior to our photo shot, all to help me feel at ease and to allow me to ask her any questions. She was on-time/early with her photo delivery and kept in great contact.
Creative: She kept a great balance of allowing me to suggest photos and encouraging creativity.
Fun: Kelsey is a ball of joy and energy. Which can be hard when you are in an empty new home, with no one around but my husband and I.
Thank you, Kelsey, dearly, for helping us make these first new bright and warm memories in our
If you are planning a wedding with any sort of landscape or mountain views - then you HAVE to work with Kelsey! She is absolutely amazing and will make your special day look stunni...
ng. We couldn't be happier with our photos - the only problem is deciding which ones to frame (there are too many great ones to choose from) :)
Kelsey was so great to work with and I would recommend her to anyone!
Kelsey is the best.photographer.ever. Period. I don’t think Kevin and I could have asked for a better, more wonderful person to capture us and our families on our special day. She ...
was sweet and kind to us don’t-know-how-to-pose people and got the job done easily and efficiently on the day! We loved every moment of hanging out with her! She also accommodated my bride-like requests to meet her just to get to know her and then again to scout out locations for photos in advance. She is worth every penny you will pay her and more! Trust me. She is the best you can ask for. We are going back to her for every photo shoot we will ever do (maybe even fly her to Sri Lanka for our ceremony there, perhaps?) and so should you! I mean do your photo shoots with her (or fly her to any country for a shoot you like to do too)! Trust me. She is worth it, her talent and her personality alike!
Kelsey was AMAZING!! I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is not only an incredible photographer, but also a fantastic woman. For example, my husband and I had to cancel our e...
ngagement photos day-of for a family emergency. Kelsey took it all in stride (while being extremely kind and validating), and offered to come to NYC (where we live) to shoot our engagement photos. So, we ended up having the the photo shoot of our dreams in Central Park. On the day of the wedding, she was professional, while also being kind and funny to help my husband and I settle our nerves when needed.
Lastly, her photography is profoundly beautiful. Of the 100s of photos that we have between the engagement/wedding, there is not a single one that is not breathtaking. I have no hesitation in recommending Kelsey as a wedding photographer, as she is truly skilled, professional, and genuine.
Kelsey was spectacular. Somehow she made us look even more magical and romantic than we felt on an already wonderful day. She took beautiful candid pictures of our guests too, whic...
h was a wonderful surprise. I definitely recommend her, and I'll probably do things I never would have considered before, like take Christmas photos with her just because I like how her pictures turned out so much!
I cannot stress this enough: Kelsey is the ideal photographer no matter the occasion.
My partner and I had our ceremony on a Friday and the reception the following day, so I ende...
d up having two different photographers – one for each day due to their availability / prior commitments. I found Kelsey only a few months prior, and I’d had a specific “dream photographer” in mind for years leading up to it, but that person ultimately wasn’t available the day of the ceremony, and Kelsey had another wedding on the day of our reception.
Long story short: Kelsey is my new dream photographer, and I am *so* glad she was there to document the ceremony, the event that was a lot more important for me (and I wish she’d been available for the reception, too!!!!). I knew her work was incredibly strong and heart-felt, but it’s a completely different level of understanding once you’re actually in the moment experiencing it with the photographer. I had the unique experience of working closely with two different long-term professionals throughout my wedding weekend, and Kelsey stood out from the moment we greeted one another for the first time, which was only about 30 minutes before I got married because I lived a couple thousand miles away. She is full of excitement but still manages to provide the emotional anchor and stability required to get through one of the biggest days of your life. Her energy is deeply contagious, and she makes you feel like a normal human being rather than a prop or a subject. Somehow, even though you know she’s done this hundreds of times, she makes you feel seen and heard and special. She acknowledged the awkward nature of professional photography, particularly on such a high-stress/high-emotions day, and she provides the mental space and emotional environment that allows you to legitimately relax and enjoy the moment.
I’ve known and worked alongside so many wedding photographers over the years as a former wedding professional myself, and I’ve never come close to someone as genuine, down to earth, and talented to the core as Kelsey is. I was literally stunned by our photos – especially considering how camera shy my partner is –, and I plan to hire Kelsey for every single major life event in the future. She is an angel of a photographer. I cannot thank her enough, not only for the amazing end product but also for the unparalleled pleasant and memorable experience she gave us that day.
Kelsey is a true diamond of a person, and you’ll be lucky to have her.
Kelsey is a wonderful human being and an amazing photographer. We were nervous about being in front of the camera, but she honestly just felt like a friend we were hanging out with...
so it took all the pressure off! She captured us and our day so well, and she was easily one of the most helpful people (to me personally, at least) on our wedding day. She put my flower crown on, she told me what pictures were next and organized everyone for the shots, got our photos to us quickly, she was down for an impromptu dip in the lake in my wedding dress when things ended a little earlier than expected, and she captured all the magic! I can't wait to work with her again!
Kelsey is seriously the best all around! She’s so sweet and truly wants to give all couples the experience that they want. It’s easy to tell that she caters to everyone’s individua...
lity and she goes above and beyond to make everything perfect. She did my and my husband’s engagement and wedding photos and we couldn’t be happier! She captured us and our personalities perfectly. They are images I will treasure for a lifetime.
I can’t rave enough about Kelsey!! She’s the sweetest, most genuine person you’ll ever meet and truly knows her art. She made us feel so comfortable behind the camera and gave us t...
he most beautiful wedding photos we could have ever dreamed of. Working with her was definitely a highlight of our wedding season!!
Kelsey made my wedding day magical!! Her level of professionalism while still having fun and helping with everyone’s nervousness was a great addition to the day. Every photo turned...
out perfect. Her work truly speaks for itself. She’s even shooting my sisters wedding next spring! She is deemed the new family photographer. I can’t wait to work with Kelsey again.
Kelsey shot both our engagement photos and our wedding photos. We couldn't be happier with either. Her work is insanely gorgeous and the ease of working with her is unmatched. She ...
captured every moment perfectly. We highly, highly recommend her and her work.
Contact
Based in Knoxville, TN
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